Hamas, Israel trade fire over Gaza

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhuanet)-- Palestinian armed groups fired rockets into Israel Thursday and Israel pounded back with aerial attack, the latest series of violence which has made Bush's peace efforts unclear.

GAZA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian armed groups claimed responsibility on Thursday for firing rockets into Western Negev territories in Israel in response to Israeli military escalation in Gaza Strip.

Ezz el-Deen al-Qassam, the military wing of Islamic Hamas movement, said its fighters shelled Sderot city, a city 1 km away from northeast Gaza Strip, with seven home-made rockets in two rounds of barrage at around 8:00 a.m. (0600 GMT). Full story

GAZA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Two Palestinians, including a woman, were killed and three others wounded in an Israeli aerial attack in northern Gaza Strip on Thursday afternoon, medics and witnesses said.

Witnesses said an Israeli aircraft fired an air-to-ground missile at a car driving in northern Gaza Strip, killing two people on board.